Online Science Resources

Birdfeeders

Activity Length:

20 mins.

Resource Topic:

Animals

Introduction

Students build a birdhouse to attract common bird species to their homes.

Birds, like all animals, have specific needs for survival. In a city, birds may find water in puddles or in a pond. They may make their home out of a hole in a tree, or they may create a nest out of bits of hair or fabric they find in a yard. Having a bird feeder to watch is a great way of bringing different bird species into your backyard. Creating a birdfeeder might also help birds find food during times of year when finding food is difficult (such as winter).

Objectives:

Identify requirements for bird survival.

Identify common bird species (once built).

Materials:

pinecones (one per student)

vegetable shortening (Crisco is a common brand)

trays

tablecloth

clean up cloths

yarn/string (40 cm for each student) or pipecleaners (one per student)

What To Do:

Preparation: Trays with shortening and trays of birdseed should be prepared in advance.

Tie string/pipecleaner onto pinecone.

Roll pinecone in shortening (hint: the more shortening on the pinecone, the more seeds will stick to it, so try to encourage students to coat their entire pinecone in shortening).

Roll pinecone in seeds.

Place pinecone feeders in a small plastic bag for transporting home.

Observe what birds and other creatures visit your feeder

Extensions:

Keep a journal of animal sightings.

In the spring, help birds find nesting material. Put out short pieces of pet or human hair, string and yarn in an onion bag or in a small basket. Keep the pieces shorter than 5 cm so birds don’t get tangled.

Try and put bird feeders in different locations and compare animal sightings

Research your favourite bird sighting and present it to your class

Create a tally/bar graph of the different creatures you observe

Research and create a bird feeder that house attract different types of birds